NJALL Scholarship Winners 2019

Kristy Khan, Kim Cozier, Musa Aluga, and Pasang Schreck at the NJALL Scholarship Award Ceremony on June 21, 2019

On Friday, June 21, 2019, NJALL welcomed three new adult students, Kristy Khan, Kim Cozier and Musa Aluga into their Scholarship family. They also honored Pasang Schreck, a 2014 winner, for completing her goal and graduating from college. The Annual NJALL Scholarship Award Ceremony and Breakfast was held at the Conference Center at Mercer County College.
 
NJALL Scholarship winner, Kristy Khan, had always dreamed of completing school, but after working for 20 years and raising her family, her aunt convinced her that it was her turn. She enrolled in the Bergen County Technical Schools High School Equivalency Program, earned her diploma and is now attending Bergen County Community College.
 
Kim Cozier was selected as a 2019 Scholarship winner just as she was completing her Associate’s Degree at Essex County College. Kim migrated from Guyana to the US with high hopes of attending college, but family responsibilities interfered. After working for 30 years, she returned to Essex County College’s Adult Learning Center, where she earned her high school diploma and soon started college. Kim is now attending Rutgers University and following in the footsteps of her daughter, a Rutgers graduate.
 
The journey from his birthplace of Sudan during the war of 1980 was filled with obstacles of poverty and lack of support for Musa Aluga. Assisted by the United Nations, Musa arrived in the US in 2011. He soon learned that pursuing education was what was needed to someday have a career in nursing. After studying to learn English, he enrolled at the Essex County College Adult Learning Center to earn his diploma and followed that with enrollment in Essex County College where he earned his Associate’s Degree. Musa was selected for a 2019 NJALL Scholarship, which will help him as he continues his studies at the William Paterson University School of Nursing. Musa is living the American dream.
 
NJALL’s Annual Scholarship Award Ceremony is also the time when previous winners are invited to attend to encourage and share words of wisdom to the newly selected scholarship winners. This year, Pasang Schreck one of the speakers, also became an honoree. Pasang came to this country from Nepal and began her studies learning English at the Brookdale Community College Adult Basic Skills Program. Her next step was to earn her high school diploma and soon after to enter Brookdale Community College as a full-fledged college student. During her second year, she was recruited into the nursing program at Georgian Court University and proudly graduated as an RN with a Bachelor’s Degree in May 2019. Pasang, mother of two young sons, became the first recipient to receive the $1000 award from NJALL, a special bonus for those who complete a 4-year degree. Currently, she is studying for her Nursing Boards before starting her nursing residency. She is an inspiration to all who have come to know her!

We hope that the stories of our recipients will inspire adult educators to encourage promising adult students to apply for and perhaps become one of the 2020 NJALL Scholarship winners!